AGROSPECIAL 5 B RINGING FARMERS BACK INTO BREEDING E XPERIENCES WITH PARTICIPATORY PLANT BREEDING AND CHALLENGES FOR INSTITUTIONALISATION CONNY ALMEKINDERS & JAAP HARDON (EDS) WITH ANJA CHRISTINCK, SALLY HUMPHRIES, DIDIT PELEGRINA, BHUWON STHAPIT, RONNIE VERNOOY, BERT VISSER, EVA WELTZIEN, AND OTHERS. This publication was prepared with support from the Development Fund, Norway (www.utviklingsfondet.no ) and the Canadian International Development Research Centre (www.idrc.ca) Readers are encouraged to make use of, reproduce, disseminate and translate materials from this publication for their own use. Due acknowledgement, with full reference to the articles and authors is requested. Reference: Conny Almekinders & Jaap Hardon (eds.), 2006. Bringing Farmers Back into Breeding. Experiences with Participatory Plant Breeding and Challenges for Institutionalisation. Agromisa Special 5, Agromisa, Wageningen. pp 135 Cover picture: Sonja Siart ©Agromisa Foundation, Wageningen, 2006 www.agromisa.org ISBN 90-8573-066-X PREFACE The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB). It reviews the approach from both a technical and a social perspective and identifies the challenges for incorporating PPB in national plant breeding regimes, which we argue is necessary for its scaling-up and future sustainability. It draws on the concrete experiences of a number of PPB projects in Latin America, Africa and South East Asia. These are selected to provide a range of different levels of cooperation between researchers, NGOs and farmers. PPB can complement the centralised institutional plant breeding regimes that are common to industrial countries and practiced by the international institutes of the CGIAR and government institutions in developing countries. When used in combination with increased external inputs (fertilisers, chemical control of pests and diseases, improved irrigation and practices) these breeding approaches were successful in raising yields in the more favourable production areas and are generally referred to as "the green revolution". However, they have been less successful in providing small scale farmers in marginal agricultural areas with improved varieties. PPB has emerged from the perceived need for more farmer- oriented approaches to the existing linear process of plant breeding, extension and distribution/marketing to farmers. This is partly because environmental conditions in the tropics and sub-tropics tend to be much more diverse, often even within short distances, than they are in most temperate countries. Secondly, it is recognised that farmer seed systems have a value and strength in coping with such diversity and that farmers have an inherent capability to select those materials that are most appropriate for their local requirements. This recognition led to the establishment, in the 1990s, of a number of pilot projects that involve farmers in various stages of the breeding process. These range from involving farmers in setting breeding objectives, in testing and selecting breeding materials in various stages of development in their own fields under different environmental conditions, and ultimately in providing farmers with the skills and materials to breed their own varieties. This report reviews the experiences of a range of selected pilot projects with a view to developing more general insights into PPB: what has worked well, what did not work so well and how PPB approaches can be improved. These insights are then used as basis for identifying the major challenges likely to be involved in the scaling-up and institutionalisation of PPB. These questions need to be placed in the general context of national crop improvement programmes and particularly how they can broaden their reach so that they also include small resource-poor farmers, especially those in more marginal areas that have thus far received little benefit from such programmes. The inputs for this review include a number cases (part two of this document) combined with information from the literature and our own experiences. The case study material has been provided by individual authors, who are partners in the various projects described. Some of them also had an input into the overall conceptualisation of this document. Their cooperation is gratefully acknowledged. Rather than trying to provide a critical evaluation of PPB, the emphasis of this report is on seeking to understand the different conditions under which various projects are implemented, how these relate to broader goals and how these influence the modes of cooperation between the various project stakeholders. At present PPB projects are generally pilot projects, utilising different approaches, with little indication about which are most effective and indeed how effectiveness can and should be assessed. We also ran into a common problem with farmer-managed activities, that is, the scarcity of quantitative data. We expected to be able compile data regarding actual selection procedures including population sizes, intensity of selection etc. However in the PPB activities, data are not documented in the same way and with the same detail as breeders do in conventional programmes. Hence the technical analysis remains rather descriptive. For this reason we shifted our attention and looked for documentation that also pays attention to the participation aspect of the experiences. We hope that this document will contribute to a better understanding of what PPB is all about and widens interest, particularly amongst plant breeders and policy makers, in regarding farmers as potential and enthusiastic partners in crop improvement. Jaap Hardon and Conny Almekinders, Wageningen, June 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART A: FROM CONCEPT TO PILOT PROJECT AND BEYOND 9 1 Introduction 11 1.1 Setting the Scene 11 1.2 Conventional Plant Breeding compared to PPB 12 2 Methodologies 14 2.1 The technical component 14 2.2 The social component 17 3 Synopsis of the PPB cases 19 3.1 Case studies 19 3.2 Reflection on the cases 23 4 Analysis and discussion of issues emerging from cases 27 4.1 Participation in Breeding 27 4.2 Impact on variety development 29 4.3 Roles of various actors 30 4.4 Empowerment through PPB 31 4.5 Costs and benefits 32 4.6 Lessons from comparing experiences 32 5 Beyond the pilot project: challenges for institutionalisation 35 5.1 Institutionalising farmers’ involvement in plant breeding 35 5.2 Policies, seed rules and regulations 35 5.3 The sustainability of PPB 37 5.4 Conclusion 37 6 References consulted 39 PART B: CASE EXPERIENCES 41 7 Farmers developing their own adapted bean variety with collaboration of a breeder and NGO-staff: an experience from Pueblo Nuevo, Nicaragua 43 7.1 Introduction: setting the scene 43 7.2 Local production and seed system 44 7.3 Organisational and institutional structures 45 7.4 Methodologies adopted in PPB and farmer participatory (breeding) practices 45 7.5 Results 47 7.6 Reflection on experiences 47 7.7 Institutionalisation 49 7.8 Management of products of PPB 50 7.9 Outlook 50 7.10 References and details of the project 50 8 Working with Farmer Research Committees in Participatory Bean Breeding in Honduras 53 8.1 Introduction: setting the scene 53 8.2 Local production and the seed system 55 8.3 Organisational and institutional structures 55 8.4 Methodologies adopted in PPB and farmer participatory (breeding) practices 56 8.5 Results 60 8.6 Reflection on Experiences 61 8.7 Institutionalisation of PPB 62 8.8 Management of the products of PPB 62 8.9 Outlook 62 8.10 References 63 9 Enhancing farmers’ access to sorghum varieties through scaling-up Participatory Plant Breeding in Mali, West Africa 65 9.1 Introduction: setting the scene 65 9.2 Local production and seed system 66 9.3 Organisational and institutional structures 68 9.4 Methodologies used for farmer participatory breeding 69 9.5 Results 72 9.6 Reflection on experiences 74 9.7 Institutionalisation 75 9.8 Management of PPB products 75 9.9 Outlook 76 9.10 References 76 10 Consolidating Farmer's Roles in Participatory Maize Breeding in Nepal 77 10.1 Introduction 77 10.2 Methodology 79 10.3 The breeding approach 80 10.4 Results and lessons 82 10.5 Conclusion 84 10.6 References 86 11 Participatory Plant Breeding in Guangxi, South-west China 87 11.1 Introduction 87 11.2 Local Maize Production, and the Formal and Farmers’ Seed Systems 88 11.3 Organisations 88 11.4 Methodologies adopted in participatory (maize breeding) practices 89 11.5 Reflection on experiences 91 11.6 Institutionalisation 92 11.7 Management of products of PPB 92 11.8 Outlook 93 11.9 References 93 12 BUCAP and CBDC: experiences and challenges of a Southeast Asian road to farmer plant breeding 95 I Set up and overview of the programmes 95 12.1 Why? 95 12.2 Where? 96 12.3 Who and What? 96 II Country Cases Bucap and CBDC 98 13 CBDC Philippines: Boholano farmers’ experiences on red rice development 99 13.1 Introduction 99 13.2 Problems encountered 100 13.3 Conclusion 101 14 BUCAP Bhutan: the case of rice 103 14.1 Introduction: setting the scene 103 14.2 Local production and seed system 103 14.3 Organisational and institutional structures 106 14.4 Methodologies adopted in PPB and farmer participatory breeding practices 106 14.5 Reflection on experiences 108 14.6 Institutionalisation 109 14.7 Management of products of PPB 109 14.8 Outlook 109 14.9 References 110 15 BUCAP Lao: the case of glutinous rice 111 15.1 Introduction 111 15.2 Local production and seed system 111 15.3 Organisational and institutional structures 112 15.4 Methodologies adopted in PPB and farmer participatory (breeding) practices 112 15.5 Results 112 15.6 Reflection on experiences 113 15.7 Institutionalisation 113 15.8 Outlook 113 16 BUCAP Vietnam: the case of Rice in Hoa Binh Province 115 16.1 Introduction: setting the scene 115 16.2 Farmers’ experiences in seed production 116 17 PEDIGREA: Using the farmer field school concept and integrating marketing issues in participatory plant breeding of rice and local vegetables 117 I The program set up and overview 117 17.1 Introduction: setting the scene 117 17.2 Local production and seed systems 118 17.3 Organisational and institutional structures 119 17.4 Methodologies adopted in PPB and PVS 120 17.5 Results so far: participation, activities and improved rice and vegetables 121 17.6 Constraints and challenges 123 17.7 Reflection on experiences 123 17.8 Institutionalisation 124 17.9 Management of products of PPB 125 17.10 Outlook 126 17.11 References and details of the project 126 II Three PEDIGREA Cases 127 17.12 The breeding and selection activities of two farmer-rice breeders in Mindanao, Philippines 127 17.13 Gourd breeding by FFS groups in Indonesia 131 17.14 Breeding Pumpkin and Wax gourd by FFS groups in Cambodia 132 GLOSSARY OF TERMS, ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS 135 PART A: FROM CONCEPT TO PILOT PROJECT AND BEYOND JAAP HARDON AND CONNY ALMEKINDERS, WITH ANJA CHRISTINCK, SALLY HUMPHRIES, DIDIT PELEGRINA, BHUWON STHAPIT, RONNIE VERNOOY, BERT VISSER AND EVA WELTZIEN [...]... established over the following years, which directly involved farmers in crop improvements These Programmes followed on from existing on-farm testing of experimental new varieties (Participatory Variety Selection - PVS) and increasingly involved farmers in the whole process of plant breeding (Participatory Plant Breeding - PPB) 1. 2 Conventional Plant Breeding compared to PPB The dividing line between modern... blanket recommendations and a onesize-fits-all technology was not an appropriate strategy To cope with this problem, plant breeders in different parts of the world started to involve farmers in target environments in setting breeding objectives and subsequent selection and testing of breeding materials (both on-station and/or on-farm) The objectives were to better satisfy farmers' needs (driven by their... generations of breeding, mass selection and line selection, differences between self-pollinating and largely cross-pollinating crops and the consequences of these issues for the most appropriate breeding procedures Hence the participatory in PPB refers to forms of co-operation between formal plant breeders and farmers in plant breeding in a manner that is appropriate to local conditions and the needs of farmers. .. (GXE) interactions also needed increased attention (Ceccarelli 19 89, Hildebrand 19 90, Simmonds 19 91) This led to a range of options for testing breeding materials under local conditions during the breeding programme and (differing levels of) farmers involvement in selection processes • There was also recognition of the need to complement formal breeding by focusing on those crops and environments not covered... their -seed systems Whether PPB includes on-farm or local testing of finished varieties with participation of farmers - referred to as Participatory Variety selection (PVS) - is a matter of definition (see box 3) PVS is usually also used to identify farmer preferences and take these as a guide for subsequent breeding and, as such, can be viewed as a form of PPB There are a number of reasons why small-scale... judgement of farmers to select superior plants and, in some instances, have seemed to under-value established genetics and breeding technology They sometimes see plant breeding as an art as opposed to plant breeding as both an art and as science Such views were held by some of the partners in some of the first CBDC projects However, NGOs now more widely accept that farmers can benefit from formal plant breeding. .. sceptical of PPB as a breeding approach They tend to view more farmer participation in crop improvement as socio-politically attractive but at the cost of the scientific rigour that they consider essential to get “real” progress Box 1. 1.The Keystone Dialogue, the CBD and the CBDC project The Keystone International Dialogue Series on Plant Genetic Resources provided an input into the 19 92 UNCED Conference... adaptation (Ceccarelli et al.; 20 01; Sperling et al, 20 01, Witcombe et al 2002; Weltzien et al., 2003) At the same time a number of NGOs including CET-CLADES (Latin America) and SEARICE (SE-Asia) argued for a re-validation of traditional agricultural systems and practices, to widen the scope of development beyond the high potential areas, and to increase sustainability and cost-effectiveness They stressed... which was to explicitly acknowledge and build upon the inherent ability of farmers to select and develop planting materials suitable to their conditions and requirements in a way that was complementary to formal plant breeding It was argued that involving farmers would increase the effectiveness of plant breeding and broaden farmers access, especially in more marginal environments, to research that... Netherlands (CGN, Wageningen) - (Hardon, 19 95) There is now a wide variety of projects in different parts of the world that fall under the broad heading of PPB The CGIAR System-wide Programme on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis has made a major contribution to the recognition and adoption of PPB within the CG institutes, national breeding programmes and NGOs In 19 89 this Programme had already . Institutionalisation 10 9 14 .7 Management of products of PPB 10 9 14 .8 Outlook 10 9 14 .9 References 11 0 15 BUCAP Lao: the case of glutinous rice 11 1 15 .1 Introduction 11 1 15 .2 Local production. on experiences 11 3 15 .7 Institutionalisation 11 3 15 .8 Outlook 11 3 16 BUCAP Vietnam: the case of Rice in Hoa Binh Province 11 5 16 .1 Introduction: setting the scene 11 5 16 .2 Farmers experiences. and seed system 11 1 15 .3 Organisational and institutional structures 11 2 15 .4 Methodologies adopted in PPB and farmer participatory (breeding) practices 11 2 15 .5 Results 11 2 15 .6 Reflection